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In a momentous achievement for English cricket, Moeen Ali, the talented all-rounder, etched his name into an exclusive club of men’s Test all-round cricketers on the second day of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. Moeen’s remarkable feat made him the 16th men’s cricketer to achieve the prestigious Test all-rounders’ double of scoring 3,000 runs and taking 200 wickets in the longest format of the game.
Before the start of the match, Moeen stood with 200 wickets and 2,977 runs to his name in Test cricket. However, during the second day’s play at Old Trafford, he reached the milestone of crossing 3,000 Test runs in the 14th over. His splendid innings of 54 off 82 balls, laced with 7 boundaries, showcased his prowess with both the bat and ball. By achieving this landmark, Moeen became the fourth English cricketer to join the elite all-rounders club, a testament to his versatility and talent in all facets of the game.
It is noteworthy that Moeen had previously retired from Test cricket in 2021, having scored 2,914 runs and taken 195 wickets in 64 matches. However, the dire situation of an injury to left-arm spinner Jack Leach led Ali to come out of his Test retirement to play in the ongoing Ashes series, demonstrating his commitment and dedication to the national side.
The illustrious all-rounders’ club, consisting of cricketers who have made significant contributions with both bat and ball, includes legends of the game like Garfield Sobers, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, and Ravichandran Ashwin among others.
Here is the complete list:
- Garfield Sobers (West Indies, 1954-1974)
- Ian Botham (England, 1977-1992)
- Kapil Dev (India, 1978-1994)
- Imran Khan (Pakistan, 1971-1992)
- Richard Hadlee (New Zealand, 1973-1990)
- Chris Cairns (New Zealand, 1989-2004)
- Shane Warne (Australia, 1992-2007)
- Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka, 1994-2009)
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa, 1995-2013)
- Shaun Pollock (South Africa, 1995-2008)
- Andrew Flintoff (England, 1998-2009)
- Daniel Vettori (New Zealand, 1997-2014)
- Stuart Broad (England, 2007-present)
- Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh, 2007-present)
- Ravichandran Ashwin (India, 2011-present)
- Moeen Ali (England, 2014-present)